Oakman Inns & Restaurants, which runs a pub-restaurant in Northamptonshire, has announced it raised nearly £21,000 with its #EatForItaly fundraising drive in the wake of the Italian earthquake.

Oakman, which operates The Navigation Inn at Thrupp Wharf, Cosgrove, alongside another 15 pubs across Herts, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and The West Midlands will be sending a cheque for £20,744 to The Italian Red Cross to support their relief efforts in Amatrice and the surrounding areas.

Oakman Inns chief executive Peter Borg-Neal

The money was raised directly from the net sale of the chain’s pizza and pasta dishes and will provide some respite for the hard-pressed victims and their families.

Because of its strong connections with Italy, Oakman decided to raise the money as soon as the full devastation became apparent.

Using the social media hashtag #EatForItaly, customers were encouraged to show their support over three days by ordering a pizza or pasta dish instead of one of the pub’s other 40+ dishes.

The firm’s CEO and founder Peter Borg-Neal, explained: “It was very touching to see the support that so many of our customers gave the campaign and they all deserve a huge round of applause for their support as the final result has exceeded our expectations.”